Parkway's Brennan Robin and Lafayette Christian's Talan Sievers had some memorable moments during their freshman year of high school. From Sievers passing Calvary's Jackson Burney in the last 300m of the LHSAA State Cross Country Championship to capture his first state title to Robin's dominant performance in his first indoor track meet--ever--at the LSU Indoor Classic...it was quite a year.
But that was then, and this is now.
The sophomores are set to battle on Saturday at Parkway's Border Dash at South Bossier Park. And if their freshmen year was any indication, this will be a race to watch.
Both opened up their season last week with wins. Robin ran in The Opener in Clinton, Mississippi and won with a 5K time of 15:40. Sievers finished seventh at the Gulf Coast Stampede in Pensacola, Florida with a 5K time of 17:05.
In the girls' division, Benton's Claire Allen will attempt to win the race for the third consecutive year. She won as s freshman with a time of 19:03. Last year, Allen won with a 19:51.
Allen's challengers will include Parkway's Ember Pierce, West Ouachita's Emma Bielkiewicz, and St. Fredrick's Bradie Eppinette.
Pierce is coming off a record-breaking performance at The Opener where she ran a time of 16:06 in the 4K, breaking Allen's record (16:15) for the race which she set last year.
It will be the season opener for Bielkiewicz, who was the District 2-5A runner up in both the 1600m (5:25) and 3200m (12:06) in May.
Eppinette is coming off a 2023 season in which she was the Region 1 Division 4 champion with a personal record 19:5. She used that momentum carry her into the outdoor track season where she captured her first state championship in the LHSAA Class 1A girls 1600m (5:21).